Knitted ribbon and its use

ABSTRACT

A ribbon which is knitted for reinforcing a hollow element has at least two knitted ribbon parts which are connected to one another by at least one continuous weft thread which is laid in repeated loops, wherein the weft thread is tied up firmly into the respective ribbon part in fastening sections which change from ribbon part to ribbon part. In dividing sections between said fastening sections, the weft thread is guided to and fro in weft thread loops between the ribbon parts, wherein the loop heads of the weft thread loops are arranged releasably and stretchably on the ribbon parts. As a result, it is possible to produce the ribbon in a relatively small width and to widen it substantially for later use by releasing and stretching the loop heads.

This application claims priority of PCT application PCT/CH2007/000515 having a priority date of Oct. 19, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a knitted ribbon and to its use for the reinforcement of hollow bodies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Knitted ribbons of the type initially mentioned are known, for example, from DE 102 60 694 A. The knitted ribbon has at least two ribbon parts which are connected to one another by means of at least one weft thread laid in repeated loops. In the tie region, a releasable separating thread is arranged, after the removal of which the knitted ribbon is thinned out between the ribbon parts, and the ribbon parts are then connected to one another only via the weft threads. The spacing between the ribbon parts has remained virtually unchanged. Thinning out serves for improving the load-bearing properties and the breathing activity of the ribbon serving as bandage material.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,482 likewise describes knitted ribbon for medical purposes, which has in regions weft threads which go back and forth between stitch wales and which can be separated mechanically or by means of solvents and can be pulled out in order to subdivide the ribbon into separate ribbon parts.

FR-A-2 244 853 shows a ribbon of the type specified, but the loop heads of the weft thread loops are not arranged on the ribbon parts so as to be capable of being released and of being stretched out.

In the case of hollow bodies, such as, for example, bags consisting of flexible material, such as, for example, paper or textile material, there is the problem that, especially when they are filled with loose material, they do not assume a stable shape, but, instead, bulge out. Filled bags are correspondingly difficult to store and require a relatively large amount of space for this purpose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to specify a knitted ribbon which, after production, can be brought to a greater width and is suitable for solving the problems mentioned.

This object is achieved:

-   a) by means of a knitted ribbon; and -   b) by the use of the knitted ribbon for the reinforcement of hollow     bodies consisting of flexible material.

Since the knitted ribbon has at least two knitted ribbon parts which are connected to one another by means of at least one continuous weft thread laid in repeated loops, the weft thread being tied firmly into the respective ribbon part in fastening portions alternating from ribbon part to ribbon part and being led back and forth in loops between the ribbon parts in separating portions between these fastening portions, the loop heads being arranged on the ribbon parts so as to be capable of being released and of being stretched out, a knitted ribbon is made available which can be produced so as to be relatively compact, that is to say, in particular, with small width, on a ribbon knitting machine. For further use, for example as a stabilizing ribbon, this ribbon can be pulled out to a greater width, only the releasable and stretch-out loop heads on the ribbon parts being freed and stretched. The stretched weft thread parts allow stabilization in their longitudinal direction.

The pulled-out knitted ribbon, that is to say with the stretched-out loop heads of the weft thread loops, serves preferably for the stabilization of hollow bodies consisting of flexible material. For this purpose, the ribbon parts are introduced, parallel to a corner fold, into a hollow body and are fastened to the side walls of the latter. The corner shape of the hollow body is consequently stabilized, so that the hollow body can maintain essentially its intended shape even when it is filled, for example, with loose material. The reinforcement of the hollow body by the ribbon prevents the side walls from bulging out. Such a hollow body, even in the filled state, is relatively stable and can therefore be stored in a space-saving way. This design even makes it possible for such hollow bodies to also be stacked one above the other in the filled state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a knitted ribbon with internal stitch wales for the loop heads, as a detail and in a top view;

FIG. 2 shows a knitted ribbon with external stitch wales for the loop heads, as a detail and in a top view;

FIG. 3 shows a knitted ribbon with loop heads projecting beyond the ribbon edges, as a detail and in a top view;

FIG. 4 shows the ribbon of FIG. 1 with partially stretched-out weft thread loops; and

FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic illustration of a hollow body reinforced by means of ribbons of FIGS. 1 to 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The knitted ribbon 2 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 consists of at least two knitted ribbon parts 4, 6 which are connected to one another via a weft thread 8. The weft thread 8 is tied firmly into the respective ribbon parts 4, 6 in fastening portions 10 alternating from ribbon part 4 to ribbon part 6. For this purpose, the weft thread 8 runs in weft thread loops 12 which extend preferably over the entire width of the ribbon parts 4, 6. For this purpose, the weft thread is introduced in one stitch row 14 and is led back in the next stitch row 16. Between these fastening portions 10, the weft thread 8 runs in separating portions 18 in which weft thread loops 20 go back and forth between the ribbon parts 4, 6, the loop heads 22 on the ribbon parts 4, 6 being arranged so as to be capable of being released from these and of being stretched out.

According to the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, the stretch-out loop heads 22 are held in each case in stitches 24 of at least one stitch wale 26 a, 26 b. The stitch wales 26 a, 26 b have a lay which can easily be pulled open, so that they can be pulled open to release and stretch the loop heads 22 and can consequently be removed. According to FIG. 1, the pull-open stitch wale 26 a is arranged in each case on the inside of the ribbon parts, and, according to FIG. 2, the stitch wale 26 b is arranged on the outside of the ribbon parts.

FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of the ribbon in which the releasable and stretch-out loop heads 22 a are arranged so as to extend over the width of the ribbon or of the ribbon parts 4, 6. In production, the loop heads 22 a of the weft thread loops are prevented by means of knock-over protectors 27 against being pulled back, until they are held as a result of the knock-over of the stitch rows. This embodiment is particularly preferred, since, after the completion of the ribbon, the loop heads 22 a can simply be pulled out of the respective ribbon parts 4, 6 in order to be released and stretched. In this case, there is no need for any pull-open stitch wales.

The ribbon depicted in FIG. 3 is produced by the one-by-one rib knitting technique.

The ribbon can thus be produced in relatively narrow form, for example in a width of 9 cm, and then, as may be gathered from the upper part of FIG. 4, can be pulled out to a width of, for example, 50 cm by the stretching of the loop heads 22, 22 a, which width may amount to a multiple of the original width. In this case, the loose stitch wales 26 a, 26 b are pulled open and removed, so that the loop heads 22 are free and can be stretched or pulled out of the ribbon parts 4 and 6 and stretched. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, there is no need to pull open a stitch wale, and the stretch-out loop heads 22 a can immediately be pulled out of the ribbon parts.

The knitted ribbon thus produced can then be arranged as a reinforcement 28 in a hollow body 30, as may be gathered from FIG. 5. For this purpose, the ribbon is arranged in the hollow body 30, across corner folds 32 of the hollow body, with stretched weft threads 8, the ribbon parts 4, 6 being fastened, parallel to the corner fold 32, to the side walls 34, 36 of the hollow body 30. This fastening may take place, for example, by the stitching or the adhesive bonding of the ribbon parts 4, 6 to the side walls 34, 36 of the hollow body 30. The knitted ribbon 2 gives the hollow body an exceedingly good reinforcement, without at the same time obstructing the filling with loose materials, such as, for example, flour, sugar, grains and the like. The hollow body thus reinforced can be stored and, if appropriate, stacked in a space-saving way.

The knitted ribbon 2 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 may also have further ribbon parts which are in each case connected to one another by means of weft threads in the way mentioned, so that, for example, an overall structure with five ribbon parts and four weft thread regions can be produced. Such a ribbon may be used as a one-part structure for reinforcing a hollow body of the type referred to in FIG. 5, when the stretched length of the weft threads and the width of the ribbon parts are coordinated with the size and shape of the hollow body.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

-   2 Knitted ribbon -   4 Ribbon part -   6 Ribbon part -   8 Weft thread -   10 Fastening portion -   12 Weft thread loops -   14 Stitch row -   16 Stitch row -   18 Separating portion -   20 Weft thread loop -   22 Loop head -   22 a Loop head -   24 Stitch -   26 a Stitch wale -   26 b Stitch wale -   27 Knock-over protector -   28 Reinforcement -   30 Hollow body -   32 Corner fold -   34 Side wall -   36 Side wall 

1. A knitted ribbon with at least two knitted ribbon parts which are connected to one another by means of at least one continuous weft thread laid in repeated loops, the weft thread being tied firmly into the respective ribbon part in fastening portions alternating from ribbon part to ribbon part, and, in separating portions lying between them, being led back and forth between the ribbon parts in weft thread loops, characterized in that the loop heads of the weft thread loops are arranged on the ribbon parts so as to be capable of being released and of being stretched out.
 2. The knitted ribbon as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the weft thread loops run over the entire width of the respective ribbon part in the fastening portions.
 3. The knitted ribbon as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the stretch-out loop heads of the weft thread loops are held, in the separating portions, by means of at least one stitch wale consisting of a warp thread, the lay of which can be pulled open.
 4. The knitted ribbon as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the pull-open stitch wale lies in each case on the inside of the ribbon part.
 5. The knitted ribbon as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the pull-open stitch wale lies in each case on the outside of the ribbon part.
 6. The knitted ribbon as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the stretch-out loop heads are arranged so as to extend beyond the width of the respective ribbon part.
 7. The use of the ribbon as claimed in claim 1 for the reinforcement of hollow bodies consisting of flexible material, the ribbon.
 8. The knitted ribbon as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the stretch-out loop heads of the weft thread loops are held, in the separating portions, by means of at least one stitch wale consisting of a warp thread, the lay of which can be pulled open.
 9. The knitted ribbon as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the stretch-out loop heads are arranged so as to extend beyond the width of the respective ribbon part.
 10. The use of the ribbon as claimed in claim 2 for the reinforcement of hollow bodies consisting of flexible material, the ribbon.
 11. The use of the ribbon as claimed in claim 3 for the reinforcement of hollow bodies consisting of flexible material, the ribbon.
 12. The use of the ribbon as claimed in claim 4 for the reinforcement of hollow bodies consisting of flexible material, the ribbon.
 13. The use of the ribbon as claimed in claim 5 for the reinforcement of hollow bodies consisting of flexible material, the ribbon.
 14. The use of the ribbon as claimed in claim 6 for the reinforcement of hollow bodies consisting of flexible material, the ribbon. 